Guidelines for representing your business on Google

Summary: Listings on Google My Business can only be created for businesses that either have a physical location that customers can visit, or that travel to visit customers where they are. Creating a successful listing that won’t be suspended requires avoiding prohibited content, accurately reflecting your business, and complying with the rest of the policies below.

We've come up with a list of guidelines for local businesses to maintain high quality information on Google. Following these guidelines helps avoid common problems, including changes to your information, or, in some cases, removal of your business information from Google.

For best results using Google My Business:

Represent your business as it’s consistently represented and recognized in the real world across signage, stationery, and other branding.

Make sure your address is accurate and precise.

Choose the fewest number of categories it takes to describe your overall core business.

Basic guidelines

Eligible businesses

In order to qualify for a Google My Business listing, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours.

Exception: ATMs, video-rental kiosks, and express mail dropboxes are permitted. If you add these locations, you must include contact information for customers to get help.

Ineligible businesses

The following businesses aren’t eligible for a business listing:

Businesses that are under construction or that have not yet opened to the public.

Rental or for-sale properties, such as vacation homes, model homes or vacant apartments. Sales or leasing offices, however, are eligible for verification.

An ongoing service, class, or meeting at a location that you don't own or have the authority to represent.

Ownership

Only business owners or authorized representatives may verify and manage their business information on Google My Business. If you wish to share management access to your listing with others, you can add a manager.

Additional guidelines for authorized representatives

Any individual or company that manages business information on Google My Business for a business that they don’t own is considered an authorized representative. Examples: a third-party SEO/SEM company; a friend of the business owner; an online ordering, scheduling, or booking provider; and an affiliate network provider.

Authorized representatives must:

Never claim a business listing without express consent from the business owner.

Never make false, misleading, or unrealistic claims.

Never use harassing, abusive, or untrustworthy tactics with potential or existing customers.

Always ensure that the business owner understands what Google My Business is and where Google My Business data is used. Authorized representatives should share the following resources with the business’s owner:

Always keep the business owner informed about which actions the authorized representative will take on the business listing.

Always follow Guidelines for representing your business on Google. Note that the phone number and website for a listing should always be the single, authoritative phone number and website for the business and be verifiable by the business owner. Website content must be owned and managed by the business owner.

Always respond to management access requests promptly, and always transfer listing ownership to the business owner immediately upon request. Authorized representatives must, whenever possible, encourage the business owner to create an account, own the listing, and add authorized representatives as managers. Learn more about transferring ownership

Failure to adhere to these policies may result in a suspension for the listing and/or account.

Business information

Name

Your name should reflect your business’ real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers. Accurately representing your business name helps customers find your business online.

For example, if you were creating a listing for a 24 hour coffee shop in downtown San Francisco called Shelly’s Coffee, you would enter that business information as:

Business name: Shelly’s Coffee

Address: 3247 Poppy Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Hours: Open 24 hours

Category: Coffee shop

Including unnecessary information in your business name is not permitted, and could result in your listing being suspended. Refer to the specific examples below to determine what you can and can't include in your business name.

Service or product information about your business, unless this information is part of its real world representation or this information is needed to identify a department within a business (see "Departments"). Service information is best represented by categories (see "Categories").

Location information, such as neighborhood, city, or street name, unless it is part of your business's consistently-used and recognized real-world representation. Your name must not include street address or direction information.

Address

Make sure that your page is created at your actual, real-world location.

Use the precise address for the business rather than broad city names or cross-streets. P.O. Boxes are not considered accurate physical locations.

Suite numbers, floors, building numbers, etc. may also be included. Information like cross-streets and nearby landmarks should only be included in regions where the official street address doesn’t accurately pinpoint the business's location.

If you need to specify a mailbox or suite number within your physical location, please list your physical address in Address Line 1, and put your mailbox or suite number in Address Line 2.

If your business rents a temporary, "virtual" office at a different address from your primary business, do not create a page for that location unless it is staffed during your normal business hours.

Do not include information in address lines that does not pertain to your business’s physical location (e.g. URLs or keywords).

Do not create more than one page for each location of your business, either in a single account or multiple accounts.

Individual practitioners and departments within businesses, universities, hospitals, and government buildings may have separate pages. See specific guidelines about individual practitioners and departments for more information.

If your address doesn't have a street number, or you're sure that you've entered the address correctly but the system still can't find it, you can pin your business's location directly on the map by following these steps.

Service-area businesses

Service-area businesses—businesses that serve customers at their locations—should have one page for the central office or location and designate a service area from that point. Service-area businesses can't list a "virtual" office unless that office is staffed during business hours.

Some businesses, like pizzerias that have both have restaurant seating and deliver pizza to customers, are hybrid service-area businesses. These businesses can show their storefront address and designate a service area in Google My Business. If you serve customers at your address and want to set a service area, your business location should be staffed by your team and able to receive customers during its stated hours.

Website and phone

Provide a phone number that connects to your individual business location as directly as possible, and provide one website that represents your individual business location.

Use a local phone number instead of central, call center helpline number whenever possible.

Do not provide phone numbers or URLs that redirect or "refer" users to landing pages or phone numbers other than those of the actual business, including pages created on social media sites.

The phone number must be under the direct control of the business.

Business hours

Provide your regular customer-facing hours of operation. If applicable, you may use your current seasonal hours as your regular hours. You may also specify special hours for particular days, like holidays or special events.

Certain types of businesses shouldn’t provide hours, including those with varied hours (like schedules for different types of activities, including showtimes, worship services, or classes) and those that operate only by appointment. Examples of business that shouldn’t provide hours include, but are not limited to: hotels and motels, movie theaters, emergency rooms, schools and universities, transportation services, airports, event venues, and natural features.

If your business has departments (see “Departments”), provide the business hours for each department on that department’s separate listing, and provide the business hours for the main business on the main business’s listing.

Multiple sets of hours

If your business has multiple sets of hours, refer to these guidelines for particular industries:

Banks: Use lobby hours if possible. Otherwise, use drive-through hours. An ATM attached to a bank can use its own separate listing with its own, different hours.

Car dealerships: Use car sales hours. If hours for new car sales and pre-owned car sales differ, use the new sales hours.

Gas stations: Use the hours for your gas pumps.

Restaurants: Use the hours when diners can sit down and dine in your restaurant. Otherwise, use takeout hours. If neither of those is possible, use drive-through hours, or, as a last resort, delivery hours.

Select categories that complete the statement: "This business IS a" rather than "this business HAS a ." The goal is to describe your business holistically rather than a list of all the services it offers, products it sells, or amenities it features. Discover common categories

You should focus primarily on adding the most specific categories for your business; we'll do the rest behind the scenes. For instance, when you select a specific category like "Golf Resort", Google implicitly includes more general categories like "Resort Hotel", "Hotel", and "Golf Course." Feel free to skip adding any category that seems redundant with a more specific category you selected. If you can't find a category for your business, choose one that is more general. Google can also detect category information from your website and from mentions about your business throughout the web.

For example:

"Papa John’s" offers pizza takeout and delivery but does not offer on-premises dining. It should use the category "Pizza Delivery" and additional category "Pizza Takeout" (instead of the less specific "Delivery Restaurant" or "Takeout Restaurant").

"Navy Federal Credit Union" should use the category "Federal Credit Union" (rather than the less specific "Bank").

"Super 8" is a motel with an onsite swimming pool. It should use the category "Motel" rather than "Hotel" and should not include "Swimming Pool" as a category.

"A1 Check Cashing" should use the category "Check Cashing Service" (rather than the less specific "Banking and Finance").

"Wendy’s" is a fast food hamburger restaurant that also offers some desserts on its menu. "Wendy’s" should choose the category "Fast Food Restaurant", and the additional category "Hamburger Restaurant", but not use the category "Dessert Restaurant".

If your business contains another business that your organization does not own and operate, only use categories that represent your business.

"Starbucks", which has the category "Coffee Shop", is operated inside "Barnes and Nobles", which has the category "Book Store" (and does not have the category "Coffee Shop").

"Cardtronics ATM", which has the category "ATM", is operated inside "7-Eleven", which has the category "Convenience Store" (and does not have the category "ATM").

"Nobu" has the category "Restaurant" and is operated inside "Hard Rock Hotel", which has the category "Hotel" (and does not have the category "Restaurant").

The following types of co-located businesses should each have their own page. If you need to use both categories for the same business location, create two pages instead. Be sure to use a different name for the second business (also see "Departments").

A Restaurant/Cafe/Bar inside of a Hotel/Motel

A Pharmacy inside of a Supermarket/Grocery Store

A Gas Station next to a Supermarket/Grocery Store

Menu

There are two kinds of menus:

A menu for an eating and drinking establishment (like restaurants or cocktail bars) that lists the complete set of food and drink items that are available at the business.

A menu for a service business like a barber, spa, or car repair shop that lists the complete set of services that are available at the business.

Learn more

Both kinds of menu must follow the following guidelines:

The menu should be representative of the items and services that are available for customers at the business. Full menus can be meal-specific (like breakfast, lunch, or dinner) and have links to other menu pages. For example, you may choose to link to your business’s dinner menu, which in turn may include links to the breakfast and lunch menus.

Sample menus that only list “popular items” (or similar excerpts) should not be submitted.

Third parties that manage listings on behalf of clients must notify and have the consent of the business owner to submit a menu URL for a business.

Chains, departments, and individual practitioners

Chains and brands

Maintaining consistent names and categories across all of your business locations helps users quickly identify your business on Google Maps and search results.

All locations must have the same name unless the business’s real world representation consistently varies from location to location. All locations must also have the same category if they provide the same service.

Name consistency

All business locations within the same country must have the same name for all locations. For example, all Home Depot locations should use the name "The Home Depot" rather than "Home Depot" or "The Home Depot at Springfield".

There are two exceptions to this policy:

If you have multiple types of business--sub-brands, multiple departments, or various types of operations such as retail and wholesale--these distinct entities may also have a distinct name so long as it is consistently applied to all locations of that business.

If some of your locations consistently use a different name in the real world - on their storefront, website, stationery etc. - these locations can use this different name.

Acceptable name variations: "Intercontinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco" and "Intercontinental New York Barclay"; "PFK" (for locations in Quebec) and "KFC" (for locations in the US and rest of Canada)

Category consistency

All locations of a business must share the one category that best represents the business. If you have multiple types of locations (e.g. sub-brands, multiple departments, or various types of operations such as retail, distribution center, and office), this rule only applies within each of these sub-groups.

All "Gap Kids" have the category "Children’s Clothing Store"

All "Goodyear Auto Service Center" have the category "Tire Shop"; they also all have the category "Auto Repair Shop"

All "PetSmart" have the category "Pet Supply Store"; some locations may have other categories ("Pet Store", "Dog Day Care Center")

Two or more brands at the same location

If your business location combines two or more brands, do not combine the brand names into a single listing. Instead, pick one brand’s name for the listing. If the brands operate independently, you may use a separate listing for each brand at this location.

If your business sells another business brand’s product(s) or service(s), use only the name of the business, excluding the name of the brand being sold, which can't have a listing for this location.

Not Acceptable: "Staples / UPS", "America’s Tire / Firestone"

Acceptable: "Staples", "America’s Tire"

However, if the business location is an authorized and fully dedicated seller of the branded product or service (sometimes known as a "franchisee"), you may use the underlying brand name when creating the listing.

Rebranding

The business name changes, but the business category, management, and ownership remain the same.

The business acquires or merges with another business and changes its name.

The business has multiple locations and changes the names for all of those locations.

Businesses that make significant identity changes (e.g. hotel or fast food establishments that switch franchise affiliations or car dealers that specialize in a different make of car), are considered new businesses and aren’t eligible for rebranding. If your business is ineligible, first mark the existing business listing as permanently closed, then create a new listing using your new business identity.

Departments within other business, universities, or institutions

Departments within businesses, universities, hospitals, and government institutions may have their own listings on Google.

Publicly-facing departments that operate as distinct entities should have their own page. The exact name of each department must be different from that of the main business and that of other departments. Typically such departments have a separate customer entrance and should each have distinct categories. Their hours may sometimes differ from those of the main business.

Acceptable (as distinct listings):

"Walmart Vision Center"

"Sears Auto Center"

"Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Dermatology"

Not acceptable (as distinct listings):

The Appleproducts section of Best Buy

The hot food bar inside Whole Foods Market

For each department, the category that is the most representative of that department must be different from that of the main business and that of other departments.

The main business "Wells Fargo" has the category "Bank" whereas the department "Wells Fargo Advisors" has the category "Financial Consultant"

The main business "South Bay Toyota" has the category "Toyota Dealer" whereas the "South Bay Toyota Service & Parts" has the category "Auto Repair Shop" (plus the category "Auto Parts Store")

The main business "GetGo" has the category "Convenience Store" (plus the category "Sandwich Shop") whereas the department "GetGo Fuel" has the category "Gas Station", and the department "WetGo" has the category "Car Wash"

Individual practitioners (e.g. doctors, lawyers, real estate agents)

An individual practitioner is a public-facing professional, typically with his or her own customer base. Doctors, dentists, lawyers, financial planners, and insurance or real estate agents are all individual practitioners. Listings for practitioners may include title or degree certification (e.g. Dr., MD, JD, Esq., CFA).

An individual practitioner should create his or her own dedicated listing if:

He or she operates in a public-facing role. Support staff should not create their own listings.

He or she is directly contactable at the verified location during stated hours.

A practitioner should not have multiple listings to cover all of his or her specializations.

Multiple practitioners at one location

If the practitioner is one of several public-facing practitioners at this location:

The organization should create a listing for this location, separate from that of the practitioner.

The title of the listing for the practitioner should include only the name of the practitioner, and shouldn’t include the name of the organization.

Solo practitioners that belong to branded organizations

If a practitioner is the only public-facing practitioner at a location and represents a branded organization, it's best for the practitioner to share a listing with the organization. Create a single listing, named using the following format: [brand/company]: [practitioner name].

Other items of note

Illegal activities

Fraudulent or illegal activities aren’t tolerated on Google and may result in account suspension and removal of business information from search results.

Marketing, promotions, or other contests

Any promotion, marketing, contests, or other giveaways should clearly link to the terms of the activity and provide clear guidelines and qualifications. All such promises, given or implied, should be adhered to.

Note: Google reserves the right to suspend access to Google My Business or other Google Services to individuals or businesses that violate these guidelines, and may work with law enforcement in the event that the violation is unlawful.